Ectopia cordis is a rare congenital malformation in which the heart is located partially or totally outside the thoracic cavity. The estimated prevalence of ectopia cordis is 5.5-7.9 per million births and it comprises 0.1% of congenital heart diseases. Ectopia cordis is associated with other congenital heart diseases and various tissue and organ disorders. Common cardiac anomalies associated w...

Ectopia cordis is a rare congenital defect where the heart is completely displaced outside the chest wall. Cantrell's pentalogy is an embryologic anomaly with five classic midline deficiencies often associated with ectopia cordis. Here we present a case of thoraco-abdominal ectopia cordis, brief literature review, and possible implications for changes in antenatal care.

Sternal clefts, ectopia cordis, and Cantrell's pentalogy continue to be very rare congenital anomalies in pediatric surgery. The prenatal diagnosis is easily made with ultrasound by visualizing the heart outside the thoracic cavity. Ectopia cordis is frequently associated with other congenital defects involving multiple organ systems. We report a case of ectopia cordis with successful surgical ...

Introduction Commotio cordis is defined as sudden cardiac death caused by a chest blow to the anterior chest. Events are predominantly reported in youth sports of baseball, lacrosse and hockey when the ball or puck strikes the chest. But commotio cordis can occur with other relatively innocent blows to the anterior chest wall, including fists, elbows and other objects. The mechanism of commotio...

Ectopia cordis in man is a relatively rare anomaly and has been known for many years, being first reported in 1671 by Neil Stensen (Willius, 1948). A translation of the relevant excerpt from Stensen's article reads, ". . . the sternum was split and the heart, liver and spleen, most of the intestine and right kidney have passed out through the split being thus uncovered." This description is und...

1. Maron BJ. Sudden death in young athletes. N Engl J Med 2003;349: 1064–75. 2. Maron BJ, Poliac LC, Kaplan JA, Mueller FO. Blunt impact to the chest leading to sudden death from cardiac arrest during sports activities. N Engl J Med 1995;333:337–42. 3. Maron BJ, Gohman TE, Kyle SB, Estes NAM III, Link MS. Clinical profile and spectrum of commotio cordis. JAMA 2002;287:1142–6. 4. Maron BJ, Mitte...